Doctor Who Is A Lie!

How dare they!

I have been following this series since I was a young GenXer in the early 80s (the sweet spot for true fans of the shows), and discovered the adventures of the Time Lord and his companions stopping at various sites and spots, solving disasters and rescuing people, aliens and civilizations that often deserved their uninterrupted fate. That might sound cynical, but it does not take a genius to understand that there is an obvious pattern of the shows that no longer really works.

So, why did they reboot it?

On March 26, 2005, the creators pushed their luck by giving us a new Time Lord, Christopher Eccleston, a new companion, Rose (the wonderful pop chanteuse Billie Piper) and less episodes per title. How was this seen as a wise decision? They destroyed the cliffhanger because they now had a full hour to clean up whatever messes they encountered. You no longer had the same tension that kept me glued to the couch when I wondered what The Doctor would do to get out a particular jam.

And also - and this is almost unforgivable - the Christmas specials. Are you kidding me? This is not a sitcom where the characters have to learn lessons so things can return to some sort of plastic norm by the new season. This is not to say that there is nothing wrong with special episodes (expected with a fiftieth anniversary). At least Mr. Eccleston only stayed for one season (he could see the weird writing on the matrix), and got out when he could. We would have to enjoy the seasonal lie with skinny geeks in ugly shoes, terrible bow ties, unflattering jumpers and...well, I have make an exemption for Peter Capaldi's look (very Christopher Lee with the smoking jacket and the clean shirts). But even he had to suffer with the introduction of a pseudo-Santa played by...Nick Frost?

Ugh.

Listen, I have given the show as big a chance as any other program of my youth. I wondered what the show was going to bring me next when I was a little boy, sitting in my basement, and the Tardis flew among time and space. The budget was so limited that the special effects were nothing to worth mentioning (very hard to accept in an age of Star Wars, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica), but the stories were always well-written and involving. And the cast was fantastic, too.

How could I be so blind?

Why did The Doctor arrive at the exact moment when he was most needed? Why were his companions always perfect for such adventures (he had teachers, scientists, warriors, brave lads and lasses who were allowed to bloom in the police box)? Why were things cleaned up after four to six episodes?

The Time Lords!

Those miserable timekeepers forbid themselves from getting involved in the affairs of other planets, unless they were attacked (hello, Daleks), or had someone...who could do their dirty work for them.

Seriously, the whole premise is that the main character stole a faulty time machine, and was allowed to get away with this without any serious repercussions (excluding one forced regeneration; another rule they broke once he crossed his thirteenth iteration). They let him get away with it...and he never really figured that out?

Ridiculous.

Well, you cannot go home again. I have more than enough pleasant memories of the show to let me feel that I have missed very little in avoiding the last few years of the show. 'Doctor Who' was a great example of what could have been and what we all deserved. It lasts, but it does not change. And maybe we no longer learn.

How sad.

I need a jelly baby.

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